Tactical Plan

The last six races tell the story plainly. After running fourth twice earlier in the year, Tactical Plan ran 14th most recently — a heavy defeat that came just a day ago. Before that, a pair of fourths and an eighth suggest the horse still has the ability to run close, but something has slipped. At Chester, where Tactical Plan has won 2 of its races, the horse shows what it is capable of. Away from there, the form is more modest: at the sort of races where this horse typically competes (Class 4 level), it has won just 1 of 10 runs.

Ed Dunlop, who trains the horse at Newmarket, has sent 39 winners out this season, so this is not a yard struggling for form across the board. Tactical Plan, however, remains something of an outlier — a horse that seems to need everything to align just right. The 14th place finish suggests the yard may be working to find the right spot and conditions again. At four years old, this horse is approaching the point where horses either establish themselves as useful campaigners or become also-rans. For Tactical Plan, the next few races will be telling.